A Montessori school is founded in self-direction and cooperative activities that nurture a child’s self image, elevated levels of academic and social competence as well as the confidence to overcome challenges with optimism. Encouraged to make decisions from an early age, Montessori children are naturally curious problem-solvers who learn to choose wisely, manage time effectively and work well with one another. These children, at a young age, will exchange ideas and discuss their work together. The emphasis on positive communication skills builds a strong foundation for learning through life.
Montessori Education
Traditional Education
Values
The child is viewed holistically, valuing cognitive, psychological, social and spiritual development
Values concentration and depth of experience; supplies uninterrupted time for focused work cycle to develop
Grace, courtesy and conflict resolution are integral parts of daily Montessori peace curriculum
Care of self and environment are emphasized as integral to the learning experience
Child learns to share leadership; egalitarian interaction is encouraged
GOAL: Foster a love of learning
Values
Views the child in terms of competence, skill level, and achievement with an emphasis on core curricula standards and social development
Values completion of assignments; time is tightly scheduled
Conflict resolution is taught independently from classroom activity
Less emphasis placed on self care, special awareness, and care of the environment
Hierarchical classroom structure is prominent
GOAL: Master core curricula objectives
Learning Process
Carefully prepared learning environment and method encourages development of internal self discipline and intrinsic motivation
Child is an active participant in learning: allowed to move about and respectfully explore the classroom environment; teacher is an instructional facilitator and guide
Learning is reinforced internally through the child’s own repetition of an activity and internal feelings of success
Child is allowed to spot her own errors through feedback from materials; errors are view as a part of the learning process
Child can work where he is comfortable and often has choices between working alone or with a highly collaborative group of older and younger students
Children are encouraged to teach, collaborate and help one another
Three-year span of age grouping and three year cycles allow teacher, students, and parents to develop supportive, collaborative and trusting relationships
Progress is reported through multiple formats: conferences, narrative reports, checklists and portfolio of work
Learning Process
Teacher acts as primary enforcer of external discipline promoting extrinsic motivation
Child is a more participant in learning; teacher has a more dominant, central role in classroom activity
Learning is reinforced externally by test scores and rewards, completion and grades
Work is usually corrected by the teacher; errors are viewed as mistakes
Child is usually assigned a specific work space; talking among peers is discouraged
Most teaching is done by the teacher and collaboration is an alternative teaching strategy
Same-age and/or skill level grouping; one year cycles can limit development of strong teacher, student and parent collaboration
Progress is usually reported through conferences, report cards/grades and test scores
Curriculum
Multi-disciplinary, interwoven curriculum
Instruction, both individual and group, adapts to students’ learning styles and development levels
Child is provided with opportunities to choose own work from interest and abilities, concepts taught with context of interest
Child’s learning pace is internally determined
Curriculum
Curriculum areas usually taught as separate topics
Instruction, both individual and group, adapts to core curricula benchmarks
Curricula organized and structured for child based on core curricula standards
Instructional pace usually set by core-curricula standards expectations, group norm, or teacher
INFORMATION COURTESY OF THE AMERICAN MONTESSORI SOCIETY (AMS)
